The present invention relates generally to expandable rooms. More particularly, this invention relates to room portions that are telescopically slidable between retracted and expanded positions.
Various vehicles are known which have rooms or room portions that may be adjusted between expanded and retracted positions in order to provide more or less internal space as desired. Typically, one portion of the room is movable and telescopically received or nested within a portion of the room that remains fixed. When the vehicle is in motion, the moveable room portion typically remains in a retracted position. This arrangement provides adequate space to accommodate users in transit and yet remain within vehicle width limitations. When the vehicle is stopped for a length of time, however, it is often desirable to increase the size of internal accommodations. At that point, the user may slide the movable, nested portion of the room out to its expanded position.
These movable room portions usually include generally horizontal walls such as a floor and a roof as well as generally vertical walls such as a side wall and one or more end walls. In the retracted position, the roof, floor, and end walls are typically concealed from exterior view and the room side wall forms a portion of the vehicle side wall. At the same time, the floor of the movable portion of the room typically rests above the floor of the vehicle and may form a usable portion of the interior floor during vehicle transit. Similarly, the ceiling of the movable portion of the room may define the interior ceiling of that part of the vehicle during transit.
Room extenders common in the prior art have utilized folding, jointed structural arms. Such arms may fold and unfold in a plane perpendicular to the floor of the recreational vehicle or coach. For example, one version of such an extender utilizes folded arms hidden within built-in furniture such as the arm of a couch. Other extenders have included jointed structural arms that fold and unfold in a plane parallel to the floor of the extendable room and occupy a space between the beams that support the extendable room.
Additional designs have included telescopically extendable tubes or beams driven by rack and pinion mechanisms or hydraulic cylinders. Such designs have utilized multiple parallel tubes or beams to attain stability in the extended position and throughout room expansion. Such designs have traditionally demanded the use of under floor storage space to accommodate multiple tubes or beams as well as separate drive mechanisms. Alternatively, such designs have demanded use of above floor space.
Useable space is valuable in recreational vehicles, coaches and trailers. Because the vehicle must accommodate the nested, movable portion of the expandable room when the moveable portion is retracted, a portion of the available storage or occupancy space within the vehicle is necessarily occupied. Further use of vehicle space includes the use of under-floor storage space to accommodate the support structure and/or force assist members or elements that comprise the drive mechanisms for extending, supporting, and stabilizing the movable portion of the room. These space demands have led to creative interior design, including the placement of beds, cabinets, etc., and creative use of room control and driving mechanisms. However, there remains a need for support structures and slide-out room-driving mechanisms that allow the smooth and stable extension of the movable portion of such rooms while minimizing the amount of vehicle space occupied by drive mechanisms and the retracted room portion.
It is therefore the principal object of this invention to provide a space-saving room extender that allows smooth and stable extension of rooms with minimal use of valuable vehicle occupant or storage space.
The present invention is a space-saving room extender providing for the smooth and stable extension of the movable portion of an expandable room with a minimal loss of valuable vehicle space. A hydraulic cylinder mechanism is shown and preferred, but use of an electrical screw auger, other electrical actuation means, or other force assist elements or members may be employed. The invention further provides for room extension while minimizing the use of valuable interior and under floor space and while creating a room with a stable and solid feel while allowing a minimum of lateral (relative to the direction of extension and retraction) or vertical motion. The invention comprises a force assist element anchored to a support beam, structural tubing member or other structural element of a vehicle or trailer. The force assist element is contained within an interior, nested housing member that is anchored to a vehicle structural member. This interior member lies within an outer housing member that is slideable over the inner housing member. The expandable room is supported by and moveable with the outer housing member. The inner housing member is anchored by a vehicle member or other base structure member to provide vertical and lateral anchoring support. The outer housing member is vertically supported near the vehicle side wall. Preferably, low friction bearings hold the inner, nested housing member secure within the outer housing member such that vertical and lateral movement of the housings and the moveable room portion is minimized. Low friction bearings are also preferably used at the vertical support of the outer housing member. The housing members of the present invention are disposed in the floor of the vehicle. In this manner, a stable room extension is provided with minimum use of valuable vehicle space.